Full Sail, Grey Sail Brewing to do battle in court over trademarks

Tensions flared in late April when Jennifer Brinton, owner of Grey Sail Brewing Co. on Canal Street, received a phone call from the owner of Full Sail Brewing Co., a microbrewery in Hood River, Ore. Brinton says she was led to believe that if she did not agree to change her business’ name she would face a court battle.

Feeling threatened, Brinton and her husband, Alan, spoke with their lawyers and then decided to file a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Providence, asking a judge to render a decision stating Grey Sail’s name and logo do not infringe on those of Full Sail Brewing Co. Efforts to settle the dispute out of court are ongoing and a hearing on the case is scheduled for June 27.

Maybe just as interesting as the lawsuit itself is that the story is missing completely from the blogs of the prolific Oregon beer community, one that is at least a dozen strong…save for The Brew Site. Jon Abernathy got some insight from Full Sail’s Irene Firmat on the lawsuit.

She told Abernathy that this is the first time in 25 years that Full Sail has been sued.